One Chance, One Way to Live.

“What the hell are you talking about, woman, this makes no sense.”

The man frowned.

That inexplicable chill made him instinctively shrink his neck back, but when he remembered that the person in front of him was just a powerless young girl, a sense of defiance surged up instead.

Why should he be frightened by a woman’s smile.

With that thought, he grew even more arrogant and continued ranting about himself.

“Dead people are dead, so what, why repent, people die every day, don’t they, I’ve never seen the heavens apologize to us.”

“They were destined to die anyway, at most we just followed their fate and took some useful things along the way.”

“They couldn’t go on living, the money and valuables they left behind let us live well, that’s practically accumulating virtue for them.”

“Mm.”

Ellie listened quietly and tapped the table lightly with her finger.

“Then what about those who begged you for mercy, you must have met them, did you feel even a shred of compassion.”

“You’re spouting boring nonsense again, that’s why women are such a pain, someone indecisive like you deserves to die the most.”

“Why speak for the dead, those trash who couldn’t beat me, what, were they your old lovers or something, hah, why don’t you look at me instead, strong men are the best choice.”

The man laughed as he shamelessly sized Ellie up from head to toe.

From an appearance standpoint, Ellie was indeed beautiful, her skin pale, her figure slender and delicate.

She looked frail, yet the places that should have curves still had flesh, and those pink eyes carried an alluring charm that naturally drew people in.

Ellie’s expression still did not change.

She merely turned slightly and called out toward the door.

“Vice Captain Furs, please close the outer door, there are some things I want to say to him alone.”

“Hm.”

Furs froze for a moment when he heard Ellie’s voice.

“Your Highness, if that door is closed, I won’t be able to ensure your safety immediately.”

“It’s fine, just close it, I know what I’m doing, follow the order, open it again in five minutes.”

Furs hesitated.

Even after Ellie finished speaking, he still did not move at once.

Ellie stood up and passed the tomato-filled pastry she had been holding through the ventilation bars to Furs.

Furs glanced inside through the opening and briefly looked at the bandit sitting there with a frown.

“Your Highness, you…”

“Don’t worry, just listen.”

After saying that, Ellie gave him a small nod and returned to her seat.

In the end, despite his misgivings, Furs closed the outer door at Ellie’s insistence.

With a dull clang, the heavy iron door shut, completely separating them.

“Alright, now it’s just the two of us, we have five minutes.”

“Hah.”

The sudden turn of events left the man confused again.

The conversation just now had been packed with information, throwing his thoughts into chaos.

The man outside really was the vice captain here.

At first he hadn’t believed it and thought this woman was bluffing, but when he peeked through the ventilation opening, it really was the man who had captured him and thrown him in here.

That man had called this woman ‘Your Highness’.

Highness.

In this country, only a handful of people could make the vice captain of the Royal Knights address them that way.

The emperor was called ‘Your Majesty’, and those addressed as ‘Your Highness’ were usually royalty.

This woman was of royal blood.

Could it be that she was the rumored second princess.

That was ridiculous.

A dignified second princess coming to a prison to see him.

“What are you trying to do, hah, just the two of us alone and you even closed the door, are you really interested in me.”

Although his words still carried mockery, after sorting through the situation his tone was noticeably more restrained than before.

“I need you to do me a favor.”

“A favor.”

The man frowned deeply.

“You want me to help you, how do you know I can, aren’t you afraid I’ll kill you right here, the door’s shut tight, by the time they come in you’ll already be done for.”

He bared his teeth viciously and dragged his chair forward with a harsh scrape, putting on a threatening act, but Ellie could see clearly that his arrogance had already faded.

“You won’t dare.”

Ellie laughed softly.

“I won’t dare, how can you be so sure, you’re asking to die.”

“You know who I am, you won’t touch me, compared to killing someone or venting desire, you want a way to live, a chance to rise again.”

Ellie’s words laid out the situation plainly for him.

Everything from letting Furs reveal himself to having him call her ‘Your Highness’ was to make this man understand the power she held.

The earlier questions were also meant for Furs to hear, to make him understand how irredeemable this man was and silently approve whatever punishment might come later.

As for closing the door now, it was a form of respect.

It was telling the man that she was willing to give him one chance, a chance known only to the two of them.

“You were once a notorious bandit leader, then your men were wiped out, your wealth lost, and you became a prisoner, you must be unwilling to accept that.”

“You want to rise again, don’t you.”

“You only need to help me with a small task, and I can give you a way out of here.”

Ellie raised one finger.

“Just a small task, you’re a smart man, you can weigh the pros and cons.”

The man fell silent.

For someone who had once stood at the top, he was naturally unwilling to rot in a cell.

All he wanted was to get out alive.

“Do you want to hear it or not.”

“Say it.”

Seeing his response, Ellie smiled.

“It’s simple, just a personal matter.”

“I hate a man from the church, but as a princess I can’t openly oppose a priest.”

“You just need to scare him, don’t kill him, his parents died by your men’s hands, so you’re perfect.”

“He’s weak and timid, just seeing you will break him.”

“If you can drive him out of the church or push him to despair, even better.”

The man laughed.

“That’s it.”

“Yes, that’s all.”

“After it’s done, you’re free.”

The man agreed almost instantly.

“Fine, I’ll do it.”

“But for safety, I’ll bind your hands and legs until it’s over.”

“No problem.”

“Then it’s settled.”

Ellie stood up and raised a finger to her lips.

A few seconds later, the heavy door opened.

“Your Highness, the five minutes are up, are you alright.”

“I’m fine, take me out.”

Furs nodded and unlocked the inner door.

As Ellie stepped out, the cell was locked once more.

Furs placed the tomato-filled pastry back into Ellie’s hand.

“Please don’t take such risks again, I can’t guarantee your safety.”

“Oh, are you worried about me.”

“You are of royal blood, if something happened I couldn’t answer for it.”

“I see.”

Ellie smiled faintly.

“Don’t worry, I’ll die far away and won’t drag you down.”

After that, she smiled again, the same familiar smile.